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Biomedical subjects

Debbie Tolson

Publications and source records attributed to Debbie Tolson.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Coping with menstruation: understanding the needs of women with Parkinson's disease.

AIMS: To understand how women with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience and cope with menstruation and associated gynaecological problems, and adjustments to womanhood. This paper focuses on menstruation. RATIONALE: Unique hormonal fluctuations are known to affect women with idiopathic PD, however, our understanding of the impact of these changes on daily lives and opportunities for nursing support are limited. METHODS: Descriptive multiple case study design was adopted, and data collection involved a variety of approaches. Including semi-structured interviews, conversational interviews, group interview, reflective diaries and creative writing. A flexible approach was encouraged whereby consenting women chose how and when they wanted to participate. FINDINGS: A total of 19 women participated, 17 were experiencing naturally occurring periods. The majority had been diagnosed around the age of 39 years, and at the time of study participants ages ranged from 34 to 56 years. Three of the women reported no change in the experience of their periods following diagnosis, 15 reported worsening problems which in two extreme situations led to hysterectomy. During the monthly cycle PD symptoms were often exaggerated, medication effectiveness reduced and 'off times' increased. The period itself involved high levels of pain, fatigue and sometimes humiliating experiences when self-care was impossible. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers a unique contribution to our understanding of the needs of young women with PD, and suggests that health professionals need to look beyond the mask of a disease associated with old age. The nursing profession has a responsibility to develop models of best practice to enable women of any age to be themselves and to adapt to the rhythm of their hormones as they live and grow older with PD.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Older people who smoke: why nurses should help them to stop.

Smoking is the greatest preventable cause of ill health and premature death in the UK. Although the prevalence of smoking is lower among adults over 65 years than in younger age groups, the actual number of older smokers is increasing steadily as the proportion of older adults in the population rises. If nurses are to function effectively in their role as health promoters it is important that they base their practice on appropriate research-based evidence. In this article we discuss the current evidence on the health consequences of smoking in later life and the benefits of cessation. We provide information on approaches that discuss some of the barriers to behavioural change. Our aim is to provide nurses with information that will help them to help older smokers make informed choices.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hearing disability: a source of distress for older people and carers.

Many older people develop hearing disability: however, only a small proportion who would benefit from a hearing aid own one. Communication is a shared experience that can be substantially limited by hearing difficulty, so this lack of hearing aid provision is likely to affect both individuals and those around them. This study, a randomized, controlled trial, was designed to examine the influence of hearing aid provision on dependent older people and caring family members who lived together within multigeneration households. A total of 63 intervention families and 70 control group families participated in the trial. We found that hearing disability and handicap are related to reduced well-being and depression in older people, and in turn these are related to increased levels of carer distress. Of the 63 older people in the intervention group fitted with hearing aids, all but one was experiencing benefit at 6 months, although no changes in depression were detected. Hearing aids significantly reduced the carer's perception of related difficulties and was a welcome intervention.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Parkinson's disease: the effects on womanhood.

AIM: To understand how women with Parkinson's disease (PD) experience and cope with menstruation, associated gynaecological problems and adjustments to womanhood. METHOD: In-depth case studies were completed with 19 women who told their stories using a combination of interviews, group interviews, reflective diaries and creative writing. RESULTS: The data revealed that most (n = 16, 83 per cent) of the women associated PD with a worsening of their menstruation problems. There was a general perception that interaction with doctors and nurses focused on drug efficacy and mobility. Distressing practical problems associated with menstruation, relationships and sexual problems were rarely addressed. CONCLUSION: Women in this study experienced emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, pain and increased severity of menstrual problems after the onset of PD. The findings not only challenge nurses to find new ways of working to ensure best practice, but also to access expert care and support for these women.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nutrition for physically frail older people. 2.

Nurses have an essential role to play in ensuring good patient nutrition, particularly in vulnerable groups. However, a lack of attention to the nutrition of frail older people has been identified in a range of settings. A best practice statement was developed to ensure high standards of practice in nutrition for frail older people. It covers five areas: assessment and care planning; promoting a nutritious diet; the care environment; the nurse's managerial role; education and training.

Aged↗